Qassem says Hezbollah emerged 'strong' from war against Israel thanks to Iran

BEIRUT — In a speech delivered Tuesday at the "Iran in Solidarity" event held in Tehran, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that his party "fought a battle of the greatest intensity" after the opening of the front in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023.

"But we emerged strong, determined," he insisted, despite the hard blows suffered by the militia, which lost most of its leadership and thousands of fighters, according to the party itself. Of his slain predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, Qassem said he was a "martyr of Palestine."

He also thanked "the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support" to Hezbollah in all areas and congratulated it "for the heroic resistance it has shown in the face of American-Zionist aggression."

"We feel that all of Iran, from start to finish, was by our side. They gave us their help, supported us, and made us feel this determination and strength," he declared. "You have given the world an example of courage under the blessed guidance of Imam Khamenei."

Mahmoud Comati, an influential member of Hezbollah's political bureau, also spoke at the event, saying the party's path is "long and ongoing, and we remain steadfast on the line of resistance," and adding that "all pressures will not make us back down," according quotes published by al-Nashra. The pressures in question likely refer to the Lebanese government's decision on Aug. 5 to disarm Hezbollah in a bid to achieve a state monopoly on arms.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah issued a statement marking the two year anniversary of Hamas' al-Aqsa Flood operation, renewing its "vow to stand with the resistant Palestinian people." The party stopped short, however, of mentioning military support for its Gaza ally. "The Gaza war revealed the true face of the criminal Zionist entity ... openly exposing its expansionist and aggressive plans," the party added.

Despite the cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024, which ended more than a year of deadly conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army continues to carry out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah members and accusing it of trying to rebuild its forces. The UN said in early October that 103 civilians have been killed in Lebanon since the truce took effect. According to L'Orient Today's count, Israel has killed more than 315 people since the truce began.

Weakened by the war, which killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, Hezbollah — long the dominant political and military force — now faces intense domestic and international pressure to hand over its weapons to the state.

In early September, the Lebanese army presented a plan to disarm the party by the end of 2025. Most of Hezbollah's military presence south of the Litani River has been dismantled, but the party refuses to completely disarm so long as Israeli attacks and occupation continue in the country.